Symbol:
Etymology: in sense 1, from Late Latin symbolum, from Late Greek symbolon, from Greek, token, sign; in other senses from Latin symbolum token, sign, symbol, from Greek symbolon, literally, token of identity verified by comparing its other half, from symballein to throw together, compare, from syn- + ballein to throw — more at DEVIL
Date: 15th century
1: an authoritative summary of faith or doctrine: CREED
2: something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance; especially : a visible sign of something invisible *the lion is a symbol of courage*
3 : an arbitrary or conventional sign used in writing or printing relating to a particular field to represent operations, quantities, elements, relations, or qualities
4: an object or act representing something in the unconscious mind that has been repressed *phallic symbols*
5: an act, sound, or object having cultural significance and the capacity to excite or objectify a response
From Merriam-Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary. Please note meaning two.
Stereotype
Etymology: French
Date: 1817
1: a plate cast from a printing surface
2: something conforming to a fixed or general pattern; especially : a standardized mental picture that is held in common by members of a group and that represents an oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude, or uncritical judgment.
For your reference, please visit this link. You may leave comments here as the author of that site would prefer to no longer continue the conversation on his site.
I would like to argue two things here. First, the meaning of symbol and stereotype; and second, the role the confederate flag plays in American symbolism today.
I was recently accosted for using the word (and yes, I will call it a word) “y’all” in a comment to a blog.
And this is a warning: this site will only except non-Southern speak. Do you see a confederate flag hanging anywhere here? "Y'all" is not a real word. I don't go to your site and say "You sing wicked retahded," or "yaa gawd-damn idiot," please show the same respect in my site.
(the tsar comments)
In a series of responses, the tsar said, “The confederate flag is a symbol of the South whether you like it or not. It's omnipresent down there, heck it's even on a state flag!” ( comments ) I would first like to argue that the confederate flag is not omnipresent in the South. While it may still be flown in some places, it is not the elected symbol of any of the 50 states of America. While it is a part of Mississippi’s state flag, this is hardly enough to argue that it is the symbol of the south. At best, I could concede that it is a partial symbol of Mississippi. Mississippi is not entirely symbolized by this flag, and Mississippi is not synecdochic for the south. Omnipresence is a huge exaggeration. The confederate flag certainly continues to exist in the South, but it is not a fair representation or symbol of the South.
I do not accept that any person can take one element of an entire culture and call it a symbol of that culture with out stereotyping that culture. To use Liz’s argument, to say that the New York Yankees’ logo is a symbol of the North East is to stereotype all North Easterners as baseball fans. It is not a stereotype to associate the Yankees’ logo with baseball, just as it is not a stereotype to associate the confederate flag with the Confederate States of America. If I wave that symbol, I am clearly in support of that for which the symbol stands. I am trying to replicate that association. If I wear a Yankees sweatshirt, I am telling the people who see me that I support the Yankees or a notion the Yankees’ represent; and if I fly a confederate flag outside my home, I am telling the people who drive past my home that I associate myself with the Confederate States of America or a notion they
represent. But saying the Yankees’ symbol is a symbol of the Northeast makes as much sense as calling the confederate flag a symbol of the South. It is an illogical stereotype. There are Yankees’ fans around the country, and there are supporters of the confederacy around the country.
What exactly does the confederate flag stand for and why is it offensive to make that flag a symbol of me (I am assuming here that a symbol is the representation of an association, as per definition two)? It was the Flag of the Confederate States of America. In the years 1860-1865 Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia seceded from the Union and attempted to become an independent country. According to Britannica Concise Encyclopedia, the Confederacy’s “principal goals were the
preservation of state’s rights and the institution of slavery” ("Confederate States of America" Encyclopædia Britannica from Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9361373> [Accessed December 22, 2005]). The confederate flag is clearly the symbol of these eleven states during this time period. If I would like to argue that it is still a significant symbol, I must argue for its significance in meaning, rather than as a governmental symbol, as the EU or the American flags represent their respective organizations. To draw an unpleasant analogy, let’s take the swastika. This was used as a symbol of Nazi Germany. People still don the swastika today. Are they donning this symbol in support of the Germany of the early 19th century? Or are they donning the symbol because of what Germany of the early 19th century was fighting for? I’m going to step out on a limb and conjecture that most swastika wearing people will brag their Arian pride, not their German pride, and that Germans in general do not appreciate the association of a swastika with their modern nation. Similarly, the confederate flag is no longer a symbol of the Confederate States of America, since it like Nazi Germany no longer exists, but of the concepts for which those states were fighting.
I would like to believe that the use of the confederate flag is a political gesture in support of states’ rights. I, like many other Americans, find this nearly impossible to believe. It is much more likely that those flying the confederate flag are ignorant of what the antebellum South really was. I will venture to say that many who fly the confederate flag will quickly declare that the South never really lost the war, that the South shouldn’t have lost the war, and that the South would be better off if it hadn’t lost the war. Yes, I know, these statements are not in agreement. I will also suppose that a large percentage of confederate flag brandishing folks do not hate black people and dislike the notion of slavery, but are proud of their Southern heritage. To these people I beg to find a new symbol of your Southernness, because this one carries many negative connotations.
Okay, that was enough on symbols, now for stereotypes. The following quotes were from again, (comments)
I said "Do you see a confederate flag waving here?" because, whether you like it or not, the confederate flag is a part of Southern Culture. From Lynard Skynard
to Kid Rock, from the South Carolina state house to beltbuckles, it is associated with life in the South.
-the tsar
I didn't say it made you stupid, or racist, that was something all of you put out there.
-the tsar
by bringing up the symbol, you should have been aware that you were inherently bringing up the stereotype.
-liz
WHEN DID I SAY ANYTHING ABOUT SOUTHERNERS BEING STUPID, IGNORANT AND RACIST?! Hmmm, when did that start? When a Southerner decided to stereotype herself. I take it very personally when someone insinuates (or comes right out and says)I stereotype..
-the tsar
A stereotype is something that an individual attaches to a symbol. That is beyond my control and says a lot about the individual who attaches the sterotype. I put out the symbol (the Confederate flag) and some people attached a stereotype to it(southerners are ignorant and racist).
-the tsar
Okay, I’ll start from the bottom. The tsar says that “a stereotype is something that an individual attaches to a symbol.” Merriam-Webster says it’s “a standardized mental picture that is held in common by members of a group and that represents an oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude, or uncritical judgment.” Let me rephrase M-W. A stereotype is a standardized mental picture by a group. It is oversimplified, prejudiced, and uncritical. Hmm, what’s that M-W? No, I didn’t see anything about symbols there either.
The way I see it, symbols and stereotypes can operate independently of each other and are both attached to concepts. We stereotype people groups by skin color, region, education level, hair color, and weight. We make stereotypes based on jobs, actions, possessions, and the lack of possessions. We stereotype people based on their religious, political, and sexual persuasions. Are any of those things symbols? I am not symbolized by my white skin, my European heritage, my Southern or Californian background, my bachelor’s degree or lack of a master’s degree, my brown hair, or my 135 pounds. I am not symbolized by working for the Peace Corps, by volunteering, for owning a laptop and blow-drier but not owning a car or a home. I am not symbolized by my Protestant, conservative, and straight persuasions. I surely fit into many stereotypes, but I am not the symbol of any of those concepts, notions, or persuasions, nor are they the symbol of me.
As I said, I was accosted for using a word that is typical of my regional dialect, “y’all.” A symbol was thrown at me. I allowed for the association of that symbol in my mind. Symbols are used to conjure up images just as farce and sarcasm are used to prove a point. As I quoted above, Liz notes that symbols and stereotypes go hand in hand. Sadly, I disagree with the tsar’s definition that an individual does that association. I believe that a group of people create that association. It is often based on truth. The stereotype that all southerners are racist (with their confederate symbols) is based on the truth that most confederate sentiment originated in the South. The inverse is NOT true. Most Southerners do not have confederate sentiments. Liz was later accosted for accusing the tsar of stereotyping. Please correct me if I’m wrong but is it not a stereotype to associate my dialectal choice of words (y’all) with symbol (the confederate flag) of a created notion of Southern Culture? What is Southern Culture, by the way? I’d like to call upon my fellow Southerners to protest the notion that we are no more than Lynard Skynard and big gawdy belt buckles. Those are real and accurate descriptions of a type of culture, but it is not Southern Culture. Again, to use Liz’s argument, these elements of culture are as much the essence of being Southern as being a mean, cold, and indifferent snob are essential traits of all northerners. These are stereotypes that misrepresent a culture. They are, as M-W says, “oversimplified, prejudiced, and uncritical.”
I have to be on a bus in a few hours and would like to get a couple blinks of sleep, so I’ll tie this up.
First, I’m sorry for any errors in editing. I’m going to be away for a few days, and when the inkling hit me, I absolutely had to start writing, even though I will not have time to properly edit this post (right, like I ever do!). Second, there are a few thoughts I’d like to throw out there…
1. How does one stereotype oneself?
2. Am I incredibly far off base to associate the confederate flag with ignorance, bigotry, and racism?
3. Am I the only one offended by associating a Southern drawl with the confederate flag?
4. Does anyone else find it ironic that I was told on the internet not to air my problems on the internet?
5. Was I totally out of line to take the assault against “Southern speak” personally, or was that the start of the “personal problem?”
6. How do you only “except Southern speak?” --okay, that was a low blow, but it’s staying in… It won’t be the first nor the last time you call me a kuchka. I’d like to rightfully earn it this time.
7. Can someone please explain to me my personal insecurities that the tsar so clearly sees in my
“diatribe” (i.e. farce in retort to the tsars attack on “Southern speak”) against Mexican Americans?
Okay. For the last time…
HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR! The ‘Log is open for New Year’s if anyone is interested!
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